Saturday marked the 250th anniversary of the day Captain Cook departed on the trip that would ultimately lead to his discovery of Australia.

Though Cook, and the extensive historical revisionism he’s been subjected to, is often tainted by the demonising brush of colonialisation, the maritime achievements attributable to his name is something that needs to be recognised.

Rather than focusing on his association with the archetypal, annexing ” invader,” one should also look at the accomplishments of his Endeavor Voyage – which ought to be revered.

“A lot of people don’t realise the genius of this man,” says Trent Dalton, from The Australia.

“That is what we must cling to, it’s what we must remember. You cannot deny the scientific achievements of this voyage.”

“The people seeing the voyage off, they didn’t know at the time the things he was about to achieve. That when he would return, we’d know vastly more things about astronomy, geology, geography and those deep southern lands that exist in world’s that were once unknown.”